Beyond the Land of Shadows
by Lykex
Summary: One year after manga's end. After being fatally poisoned, Hinata thought her life had struck its final key. But when a mysterious young man saves her from death, she embarks with him on a new journey. In a place beyond her home...HinaxOC.HIATUS DUETO EXAM
1. Death and Shadow

**A/N: **My first Naruto fan fic! Yay! Please read and review. However, for those American Idol Judge wannabes, I will ignore any (and all) forms of flame review. If you send me one, it never existed. If you want me to improve my skills, please review me in a nice, calm, _humanitarian_ way. Thank You!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Period.

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_**Chapter 1: Death and Shadow**_

She... was dying...

The white-eyed girl stared painfully at her waning vision, her each breath taking a dramatic toll on her strength.

"Hinata! HINATA!!!" cried the desperate voice of her friend and long time crush, Naruto. He sounded so far despite that he was just right there, cradling her in his arms.

"Hinata! Please Hinata, hang in there!" he cried again. "Sakura, isn't there _anything_ we can do!?

"I-I'm sorry Naruto..." sobbed the voice of Sakura, "But there really is nothing I can do. This poison's acting like it's gotta mind of its own! I can't stop it!"

Naruto looked around furiously, hoping against hope that he'd find something, anything, that could save her.

But there was nothing... nothing but trees for miles.

Just then Hinata heard a sudden rustle of leaves.

"Naruto! We have to go! There's too much of the enemy here!" spoke the urgent voice of Shikamaru.

"Forget it! I'm not leaving Hinata to die here!" Naruto retorted as he tightened his hold on her.

"You idiot. She's practically dead already! We take her with us she'll just slow us down!" argued Shikamaru heatedly. However, deep down, Hinata knew he hated himself for saying it.

Naruto was about to answer furiously when a hand fell gently on his shoulder.

"Naruto... please. Let Hinata die in peace." spoke a familiar voice.

"Sasuke..." said Naruto as he looked up painfully at his best friend.

"Hinata died protecting you, not just as future Hokage, but as her dear friend. She sacrificed herself both for Konoha and for the people she cared for." he added. "I promise you... we will avenge her!"

Naruto looked back down to her. His hot tears falling upon her bloodstained jacket.

She didn't want to see him cry, not here, not like this. So slowly, her voice barely audible from heavy breathing, she spoke,

"Naruto-kun... please... go. They're right... I'll just be a burden now."

"Hinata..."

Finally, with a last painful glance, Naruto closed his eyes and gently laid her head back on the soft ground.

He then slowly got to his feet... and when his eyes opened again, they burned with the fury of the Nine-tailed Kyuubi.

"Lets go!" he growled fiercely, "For Konoha... and for Hinata!"

With that, all of them nodded their heads in unison and furiously dashed back into the tree tops.

Hinata looked sadly at her dissappearing comrades. If she were to die here, so be it. Her only regret, however, was that Naruto never really knew how much she felt for him.

Suddenly, she heard the leaves above her rustle once again. She then heard the sound of two pairs of feet nimbly landing down a few steps away from where her head was.

"Damn that Seiji!" cursed the voice of a Sound-nin."I told him not to make a move without the rest of us! With this Hyuuga brat dead, we'll never find the secret of the Byakugan!

"Relax Sanche", replied the deep, laid-back voice of his partner, "I heard this girl's actually a member of the main family. Meaning _her_ Byakugan won't dissappear like the usual ones, and since she's dead this even makes our job a whole lot easier! Hahaha!"

Hinata's mind began to race. She can already hear their footsteps coming closer.

The shadow of the second Sound-nin loomed over her unmoving form. He then quickyl reached down and forcefully grabbed her by the hair.

"Gah!" she gasped painfully.

The Sound-nin looked a little surprised,

"Oh, this little bitch is still alive?" he said as he smiling maliciously as he drew a long, sharp, katana from his belt. "Hehe, don't be afraid. We'll just cut off your head and be on our way."

Hinata's eyes instantly widened with shock and fear, but this only made the first Sound-nin cackle maliciously,

"That's right! Besides, we'll make sure our new master puts those eyes of yours to good use. Hehehe..."

As her captor slowly raised the gleaming blade to it's full height, Hinata tried to call on every fiber in her body to struggle... but it all seemed futile. Her body just simply refused to move.

Then... it happened.

When the Sound-nin's sword was merely inches away from her throat, a red stream of crimson suddenly flowed down it's owner's abdomen.

The man didn't even have time to scream as he fell staring wide-eyed at his assasssin. Hinata also realized that the part of her hair which he was holding was cleanly cut and now she too was slowly collapsing back down to the ground.

As she felt her head touch the cold earth once more, she tried to get a glimpse of who (or what) just rescued her.

Unfortunately, all she could see was it's shadowy silhoutte as it swiftly descended upon the remaining Sound-nin. Silently putting an end to his life.

After that... her world went into darkness.


	2. A Mysterious Youth

**A/N: **Ok, here's chapter two. Please review. And when you do, remember what I said in chapter 1: Any flame sent to me...it was never there. I deny it's existence.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. (Do I have to type this in every new chapter I write?)

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_**Chapter 2: A Mysterious Youth**_

Hinata was once taught that when your dead, your no longer able to feel your body. Only your heart and mind remained...

However, if that were true, then why was it that she could feel her eyelids...

Why was it then, that she could feel her arms and her legs, her hands and her feet? Why? When her whole world has just went black?

It was then she realized it...she wasn't dead. For she could still hear the rushing sound of the forest trees as they whispered to the winds.

_I-I'm still alive? _she thought wearily.

She slowly opened her eyes. It was true. She really was alive. Her body still felt incredibly weak, but yes, she was still breathing.

She then slowly lifted herself slightly and looked around. Her face was pointing towards the stars, telling her that it was already night-time. She steadily moved her hand and touched the thing she was lying on. It felt so soft and warm. She tilted her heads sideways and found out that she was sleeping on a soft crude mattress of leaves and a wide sheet. In front of her she saw a burning campfire. On top of the fire was a small black cauldron with a wooden ladle sticking out of it.

Hinata tried to sit up and get a better view but a sudden sting in her abdomen forced her back down.

"Gngnh!" she grunted painfully.

"Don't get up too quickly, you'll open up your stitches." spoke a voice from somewhere.

She quickly looked around to see who it was who spoke. There appeared to be no-one around until she noticed that the cauldron was giving off a rather thick smoke.

She carefully squinted her pearly white eyes to see who it was behind all that smog and managed to make out the outline of somone in a black robe and hood.

Then the figure silently stood up and slowly made its way towards her. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the figure was a young man, though his face was still hidden underneath his hood. A large, broad sword was strapped to his back.

As Hinata continued to stare cautiously at the stranger, he reached for his hood and lifted it in one smooth motion.

Her suddenly heart skipped a beat and felt her face turn pink when she saw his real face.

He was really handsome and appeared to be hardly a year older than she was. His short hair was of dark crimson yet his eyes were a deep sky blue. In front of these eyes were a pair of golden rimmed square spectacles.

"Wh-who are you?" she stammered. For some strange reason, though, she couldn't stop blushing. _Wh-why am I still blushing!?_

The boy ignored her question and bent down to inspect her injury. When she also looked down on her wound she saw that it had already been bandaged several times. The young man then reached for something in his robe and took out a small mauve bottle.

Hinata hesitated slightly when she saw the bottle, but then thought of how long she had already been alone here, unconscious, and relaxed slightly.

It was only after he applied a strange pink cream from the bottle to her wounds did he finally spoke.

"Not exactly the first thing you'd say to someone who just saved your life..." he said as he stood up again and went over towards the boiling cauldron.

Hinata looked at him confusedly but then remembered. The two slain Sound-nin...the mysterious shadow that saved her.

"It was you..." she whispered.

He then looked at her, his face expressionless. After that he looked back to the cauldron and stirred it a couple few times with the ladle.

"Umm...excuse me but, you still haven't really answered my question. Who are you? What's your name?" she asked nervously.

The young man paused in his stirring than answered without looking at her,

"Shadow...Shadow Swordmage."

_Shadow...Swordmage?_ Hinata thought curiously, _that's a pretty weird name. It sure doesn't sound Japanese._

Shadow stopped stirring the cauldron and poured some of its contents into a wooden bowl that was lying nearby. He then gave the bowl to Hinata and said quietly,

"Here, eat this. It helps the cream work faster. You'll probably want your strength back."

Hinata looked at the bowl, it was filled with a strange brown soup that smelled a lot like boiled onions. It certainly didn't look appetizing but this guy saved her life, the least she could do to show her gratitude was by not being rude.

Slowly she put the bowl to her lips and closed her eyes...

She made a slight face, it was actually pretty thick yet tasted slightly sour. But at least it went down her stomach easy.

After taking a few more good sips, she emptied her bowl and let out a relieved sigh. All the while Shadow observed her. He was helping himself to some of the soup too, but he never took his eyes off her. It was only now did she notice, however, and it made her feel extremely uncomfortable. The heat slowly began rising to her face again.

But before she could say anything he said,

"All right. I've told you my name now tell me yours."

She tried to keep her voice still as she answered. Luckily it worked,

"Hinata, Hyuuga Hinata."

When she answered Shadow's face finally showed a hint of emotion. His brows suddenly curved as he adjusted his glasses slightly. As if he didn't hear her name right. Did it sound strange to him just now?

Hinata decided that it was her turn to keep an eye on him. As her eyes stealthily scrutinized every inch of him she noticed something that she didn't see before; His clothes are of nothing she had ever seen in the other Shinobi countries. Another thing was that despite his fighting skills, he didn't seem to have any forehead protector or any other symbol of a shinobi. Meaning that there was no way he could be a ninja. _Could he be just hiding his forehead protector?_ she asked herself.

Unfortunately, he quickly noticed her gaze and decided to hit back with another question.

"So...Hinata. What's a strange girl such as yourself doing in the Shadow Wood?" he said tonelessly.

Hinata felt slightly insulted by this question, _'strange girl'? Who was it who just showed out of the blue and single-handedly took out two Sound jounin!?_ However, what really stumped her was when he called this place the 'Shadow Wood' _What's he talking about? This is an uncharted forest north-west of the Land of Wind, it doesn't even have a name. Unless..._

Hinata thought deeply, she had once heard that Naruto had met with people from a completely different land beyond the borders of Wind Country. These people still had Japanese names but Shikamaru said that maybe it was only because their land was so close to the Shinobi countries. He theorized that farther beyond that, there are places not even the Kages have ever set foot in. These places are all under a fitting name: The Land Beyond the Horizon or simply Horizon Country.

"Well?" Shadow asked again.

"Ah, sorry um..." she replied shakily _What I'm supposed to say to him?_ she thought frantically._ If he really is from those lands, how will I explain all of it easily? He might not even believe me!_

However, Shadow stood up, his face showing small sign of exhaustion, and said,

"It's all right. You don't need to tell me now. But we both have to rest here tonight."

Hinata nodded her head obediently, feeling slightly relieved. She then lowered herself slowly back down on the mattress and drifted off to sleep. But had she stayed awake a few more seconds, she may have not slept as soundly as she was now. For when Shadow bent down to put out the flames, he merely snapped his fingers and the fire died out...instantly.


	3. Eyes on All Sides

**A/N: **Chapter three is UP! Please keep reviewing. And remember: I don't acknowledge flames. Never had, never will...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Isn't there a shortcut for this line? (TT)

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_**Chapter 3: Eyes on All Sides.**_

Hinata woke up the next day, just as the rays of the new morning sun filtered its way down their small camp.

She slowly sat up straight and yawned sleepily. She then felt the bandages on her waist and was relieved to find that her wound had almost completely healed.

After checking herself a few more times, she looked around expecting to see Shadow nearby.

However, her rescuer was nowhere to be seen...

Hinata looked around carefully. His cauldron and utensils were still here which means he couldn't have gone too far.

She shakily tried to stand up, balancing her legs carefully. _Wonder where he went?_ she asked herself.

"Shadow?" she called out. She pricked up her ears hoping that she might hear a sound from him. When there was still no reply, she decided to try using her Byakugan.

But she had barely formed the tiger seal with her hands, when something tall and black rapidly landed next to her. It was so sudden she gave a squeak of fright and lost her balance. However, Shadow quickly grabbed her by her hand and kept her from falling.

"Sorry..." he muttered. He then gently pulled her up straight and let her hand go. He didn't seem to notice, though, that he had once again made Hinata blush.

"O-oh, its ok... I was actually wondering where you went." she said looking away to hide her pink face. She then unconsciously slid her hand down the one he had held and caressed it.

Shadow made a few steps forward and looked around. He seemed to be looking for something, for he kept going back and forth between one group of trees and another. Hinata looked curiously at him and wondered if he was trying to find out where they are.

"Um...Shadow?" she asked slowly "Do you know where we are?"

"How's your wound?" he asked indifferently, ignoring her question.

"Fine...but do you know where we are?" she repeated patiently.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked absentmindedly walking right past her as he continued scanning the forest.

"N-not anymore... so are we lost?" she asked yet again.

Shadow didn't answer. Most people might have lost it at this point but Hinata knew that this was just another silly form of stubbornness. _He sure is pretty stubborn... just like him. _she thought as she was strongly reminded of Naruto. She smiled slightly as Shadow continued pace between the trees. He was starting to look slightly irritated now. Though this guy may not be half as hotheaded, he still didn't seem to like making mistakes.

Shadow finally stopped pacing and put his hand to his forehead. He sighed exhaustedly. Hinata felt kind of sorry for him so she said to him reassuringly,

"Hey, you don't need to worry about me freaking out or anything. It's not like I've never been lost before."

Shadow turned and looked back at her. He wasn't mad, in fact when she looked a little more carefully. He was looking at her rather amusingly. Hinata merely smiled shyly and said,

"If you want, I could help you. Like I said, my wound doesn't hurt anymore. Is there anything I can do?"

"There is… if you've got eyes hidden all around your head." he said rather sarcastically.

Hinata giggled mysteriously and said,

"Well... I don't about that...but I can do this."

Shadow watched curiously as she put her hands together into a strange sign. _What's she doing?_ _Some kind of strange spell?_ he thought. Then, she closed her eyes quietly and, in a clear commanding voice, she cried:

"**_Byakugan!_**"

Her eyes suddenly sprang open again but this time they were whiter than before and around the corners of these eyes were an entire web of veins.

Shadow stared transfixed at her eyes sudden transformation. He cautiously approached her and waved his hand in front of her. He sharply pulled it away when she suddenly laughed playfully.

"Relax, I can still see you. As well as..." she paused, focusing a little more chakra into her eyes, "...what's behind you."

Shadow turned around and looked at the forest behind him. He then looked back at her, his eyebrow raised skeptically,

"Really? Very well then." he said putting his right hand behind his back. "How many?" he asked sticking out two of his fingers.

"Two." she said casually

He stared at her suspiciously; he opened up his hand and asked again,

"Rock, paper or scissors?"

"Paper." she answered lightly. As if they were playing a little children's game.

He changed changed his hand into scissors. When she guessed it right, he changed and asked her few more times. She didn't miss any of them.

"Rock."

"Scissors."

"Paper."

"Scissors."

Feeling even more curious now, Shadow first balled his fist but then quickly changed to paper when she was about to answer.

"Ro-. Hey!" she said peevishly, "That's cheating!"

Realizing defeat, Shadow lowered his hand. _Interesting... _he thought._ how does she do that?_ He then decided to ask her something much more serious.

"All right. Can you also see in any direction?"

"Without even turning my head." she replied as she shifted her black and white vision to the back of her head.

And she was right. When Shadow went behind her and performed a similar test, he got the same results.

As final test, he backed up a closer to the trees.

"When I give the signal, I want you to point out me out as fast as you can. Understand?"

Realizing what he was about to do, Hinata quickly focused more of her chakra into her Byakugan as Shadow leaped back into the forest in a surreal blur of black.

_Whoa... _she thought a little uneasily. _He may not be a shinobi but he sure moves fast like one._

Shadow moved from tree to tree like the very object he was named after, as he measured how far Hinata could still see him. He was so fast, she had only barely managed to point out all the places he landed. Seeing enough, he quickly dashed back to her. What he didn't know, though, was that Hinata had already deactivated her Byakugan to conserve her chakra and that she was now unable to see that he had landed behind her.

When she turned around she squeaked in surprised as she bumped hard into him.

In reaction, Shadow grabbed her by her arms to stop her from stumbling back. In the process, though, he wound up pulling Hinata closer to him.

The young kunoichi thought her heart would stop as her face suddenly became close to his. The warm heat flowing back to her cheeks as she suddenly found herself staring into those sky blue orbs of his.

As Shadow's sky blue eyes stared into her white ones, Hinata felt a strange feeling concealed within them... but before she could guess what it was however...

CLANG!!! CLANG!!! BONK!!!

Both teenagers were quickly snapped out of their reverie as a loud clanking and banging noise reverberated all around them.

Hinata covered her ears and looked quickly looked around with her Byakugan. As the noise showed no sign of going off, Hinata quickly traced it and found that it was being caused by a strange round yet oddly familiar object. Through her Byakugan, Hinata saw that the thing was bouncing itself up and down on the ground and it gave off a rather peculiar electric blue color.

With all the noise, it was hard for her to calculate the exact direction of the 'thing'. When she turned off her Byakugan, however, she saw that needn't look very far...

The strange object was none other than Shadow's small cauldron. A cauldron moving and bouncing by itself!

Hinata stared wide-eyed at the jumping pot as it bounced its way furiously towards Shadow. Shadow, however, just looked at it rather disapprovingly. As if it had always annoyed him like this. But that was nothing compared to what happened next.

Shadow raised his hand over the cauldron and muttered three strange words,

"**_Caldaros Morphoid Reversio_**"

The last word had barely left his mouth, when the pot began spinning wildly after which it violently exploded in a huge puff of azure smoke.

Hinata shielded her face as the pot blew up, and then stared cautiously at the smouldering blue fumes. As the smoke began to steadily clear, however, she barely caught a glimpse of something small and blue with antennas on its head before it violently streaked past her and slammed into Shadow.

"YOU SNAKE! YOU BACKSTABBING, CONNIVING, SNAKE!! YOU'VE GOT A LOTTA GUTS TURNING ME INTO A COOKING POT...WHILE I WAS SLEEPING!!!" squeaked the strange creature loudly. "JUST WHADDYA TAKE ME FOR!? SOME KINDA-"

WHACK!!

Hinata struck the strange creature painfully in the face with a broken branch. The little blue thing instantly hit the nearest tree and sagged down with a dizzied moan.

Hinata gripped the branch firmly, _What is that thing? It looks sorta gooey. _she thought keeping her eyes on the thing warily.

She then felt Shadow's hand on her shoulder and looked to him,

"It's okay, he's with me... nice hit though." he said walking over to the blue creature.

Hinata looked steadily from behind him and finally got a good look at what was earlier a mere cauldron.

The thing was surprisingly cute. It's entire small body looked like a drop of electric blue jelly. It had cute beady black eyes and an adorable tiny mouth. The antennas on its head, upon inspection, looked more like floppy long rabbit ears. After seeing just how cute it was, Hinata felt kind of sorry for hitting it.

"Wh-what did I ever do to _you_!? Waaah!" the little blob cried.

"I-I'm sorry. I was a little startled..." apologized Hinata.

"A _little_?!" the replied the creature incredulously.

"You don't need to apologize Hinata, he deserves it." Shadow said coldly.

"Yeeeeaaah! The same way I deserve every single bit of foul treatment you give me!" retorted the creature sarcastically.

Hinata glanced awkwardly between Shadow and the small creature as the latter gave hot-headed insults while the former replied with cold remarks.

After the little blue thing had calmed down a bit, Hinata asked politely,

"So...does he have a name?"

Shadow looked grumpily at the small creature and replied glumly,

"This here's Pum, he's my...pet."

"Pet? Ha! More like guinea pig-slash-walking appliance set." Pum grumbled before finally getting a good look at Hinata.

"Whoa!" he said mischievously looking at Hinata from head to foot, "Hey Shadow, when that elven fortune teller told you to get a girl, she didn't mean right away. Hehehe."

"Huh?!" Hinata replied, blushing furiously and twiddling her fingers. "N-no it's not like that! It's just that...well... he rescued me and..."

Shadow picked up a pebble and threw it reproachfully at Pum's head

BOINK!

"Ow! What!? Now you throwin' rocks at me!? Ain't it enough you turned me into a pot while I was snoozing!?" he squeaked furiously.

"Asleep, awake, either way I'm surprised the whole Undead Army didn't come down on us!" he hissed icily.

Pum's puffed up face then turned to a look of slight surprise.

"Do I really snore that loud?" he asked awkwardly.

"Like a giant Orc." he answered waspishly.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

Hinata looked between Shadow and Pum as the two started all over again. This time she was really confused, _Orc? Undead Army? What in the world do those mean!? _she thought, utterly perplexed. _These guys are definitely not from around here._

However as the two finally went to the point of just glancing angrily at each other, Shadow rounded to Hinata and asked her to use her Byakugan (or 'White Sight' as he called it) to scout the area. Hinta obeyed, though, she still wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad at the way he fights his pet. Pum looks so cute and huggable, she felt a little upset at the way Shadow treats him. On the other hand though, Shadow must have been traveling for years with Pum. Maybe they've always argued like this. She giggled at this thought, for it reminded her of Naruto and Sasuke. Those two always fought but it only proved just how strong their friendship really was.

Hinata glanced sadly at the clear sky above, _Gee, I wonder how everybody_ _is right now. Hope there all ok. _She then put her hands into the tiger sealed again and commanded,

"**_Byakugan!_**"

The forest turned into a mysterious black and white color once more and she felt her vision soaring right through the trees. Suddenly, to her surprise, she saw the trees became fewer and fewer until finally, she could see a vast clear, grassy plain. A brown dirt road rounded the nearby hills and into, Hinata's eyes widened as she saw it, a small town. Even though she couldn't see any further, she was far enough to see that the town looked completely different from the ones she's seen before.

As she closed her eyes and deactivated her Byakugan, she took a deep breath. She was still half-way used to expanding her Kekkei-Genkai at such a long distance. She then turned to Shadow who seemed to have mysteriously packed everything away.

"Well, what did you see?" he asked.

"We're almost out of the forest! I think I saw a strange town a not far away from here." she replied excitedly as she pointed in the town's direction.

"Did this town have a tall clock tower?" he asked further.

"Clock tower?" Hinata asked puzzledly.

"A tall, straight, brick building with a huge clock on it's face." he explained.

Hinata closed her eyes for awhile and tried to remember what else she saw. Sure enough, she remembered seeing a high structure with a really large clock on its face. The tower must have been really tall for her to spot it at such a distance.

"Yes." she answered.

Though he didn't smile, Shadow's eyes quickly flashed in surprise. He then looked at Pum, the little creature bounced excitedly and cheered,

"Where almost outta here!"

"You know that town?" Hinata asked, wondering why Pum was so excited about.

"Yup! Once we get there-" BOINK! "-the two of us-" BOINK! "-are home freeee!!" he said happily between high bounces.

"The two of you...?" Hinata wondered confusedly. But then a sudden sad thought formed in her mind.

She couldn't have really thought that these guys would take her. Could she? She was safe and alive. She could probably just go back and find Naruto and the others then probably go home…

She looked sadly at Shadow, wondering if he would really just tell her to go back to her friends. But the young man's eyes were closed and his face was unreadable once more.

However, after a short while as Shadow thought about what to say to her, he opened his eyes and looked into hers…


	4. Beyond the Horizon

**A/N: **Chapter four is UP! What is Shadow's decision? Please keep reviewing. Remember: NO FLAMES.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. (How many of you already know that? Really.)

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_**Chapter 4: Beyond the Horizon**_

Pum had quickly bounced towards the direction in which Hinata pointed. He had had enough of this forest, and to think he just spent a night as a dull unfeeling cauldron! _Ooooh I can't wait to get to the nearest inn. With all the nice food and a nice soft bed to sleep in!_ he thought dreamily._ Not to mention, Shadow'll have harder time turning me into heaven knows what! heheheh... _he added mischieviously as boinged his way ahead. However, he quickly stopped and felt that something was missing.

It was Shadow!

Pum quickly whirled his little jelly body around and stared back at his master. Even though his face never shows it, Shadow's living proof that eyes really are the windows to the soul... and to the heart. And right now, his eyes were showing one emotion that Pum rarely saw in his master: Sadness. Not the gloomy miserable kind of sadness... but the soft tear-jerking kind. Pum wondered at what exactly is making him feel that way, but a quick glance told him everything.

It was Hinata.

The white-eyed girl that his master rescued earlier also had the same expression on her face. She was looking down on the ground, her hand sadly holding her other arm.

Then Shadow quickly looked sharply in Pum's direction and called him.

"Pum!"

Regretfully, Pum obeyed and bounced back towards the two of them. He then glanced at his master reproachfully and answered irritably,

"What?"

"We have to take her with us."

The moment he heard the words 'take her with us', he thought his eyes were gonna pop out of his little body.

"WHAT!?!?" he screeched.

Hinata looked up, as if she wasn't sure at what she just heard. He's taking her with them? _But why?_ she wondered.

"Look, Shadow...you don't have to." she said, trying to hide the sadness she still felt. "I could just go back and find my friends and-"

"You can't go back." he interjected tonelessly.

"Huh?" she said her eyes widening fearfully.

"That's the thing...you can't go back." he repeated, though this more softly.

"Whaddya mean she can't go back?" squeaked Pum angrily.

Shadow took a deep, tired breath and asked Pum quietly,

"Pum, how many Flight Orbs do we have left?"

To Hinata's surprise, Pum began to act very strange. The little blue creature's cheeks suddenly puffed up as if he were chewing something.

"Etsch shee..." he mumbled. He sounded like his mouth was full.

"Hmmm...Ah-hah!" he then cried out suddenly and quickly spat out a small, sky-blue, crystal sphere.

"One." he answered absentmindedly. But then his eyes widened in shock at the tiny blue orb.

"Wait! ONE!? We had two!? Where's the other one?!" he shrieked staring at the tiny blue crystal.

He then slowly turned and glared angrily at Shadow.

"You didn't..." he said shakingly staring at Shadow, completely flabbergasted.

Shadow then looked back to Hinata and explained to her,

"When I rescued you from those two men, there were also others not far behind..."

"You did!" Pum cried bursting into a stream of tears. "Waaaaah!!"

Shadow closed his eyes as he delved into his memories...

_He was bending over Hinata as the girl continued to breathe heavily. He quickly reached into his robe and pulled out a shiny test tube filled with a shimmering light blue liquid. He quickly popped it open and poured a few drops into her mouth._

"I was just pouring a small amount of Elixir in your mouth when I heard them." he said completely ignoring Pum's overreacting laments.

"Oh great. You used that too? We're screwed!" Pum muttered desparingly under his breath.

_Then Shadow heard shouting voices from behind him, meaning that these two men that he had just slain weren't the only ones._

_Picking up Hinata, he quickly mustered a mysterious energy from within him and used it to dash back up into the trees. However, it didn't seem enough to outrun these men. Just what was it that made them so fast? He couldn't sense any of the same mysterious energy from them. So what else could allow them to do so?_

"When the men came closer, I had no choice but to use it…" he continued.

_He searched into his robes again and took out the same small blue crystal ball. He then clenched the ball tightly in his fist. Before long, it was starting to glow right through his hand. Instantly the crystal completely dematerialized into a bright light that surged entirely through Shadow and his ward. Turning them all into one giant luminous sphere; the sphere then quickly bolted at an unbelievable speed easily outrunning the two strange men. However, the sphere also didn't seem to know where it was going, for it merely shifted directions randomly. Before long he found himself in an empty clearing, with the still poisoned Hinata clinging to his back._

Hinata looked curiously at the small sphere that Pum spat out, the light from the sun reflected on its shiny surface.

"Umm… what exactly is it?" she asked bending down to pick it up.

"That there sister is a Flight Orb; the fastest way to get out of a tight fix, really cheap too." Pum answered.

"Really? What's it do?" she said looking closer at the little sphere.

"Well... it's supposed to take you to the nearest 'safe zone' be it a town or a city or any other place that's not crawlin' with monsters." he explained..

"Oh… but then why doesn't it work?" she then asked. "You said so yourself Shadow just used up one. Why?"

"That's because this place is filled with all sorts of baaad energy! It's disrupting its ability to coordinate, meaning you could only wind up somewhere else in this forest instead of a safe place." he said gloomily.

For a while Hinata seemed to meditate on this. But after a few seconds, she finally realized what Shadow meant.

"Wait. You mean I could be miles away from where you found me!?" she asked frantically.

Shadow bent his head sadly and replied,

"Yeah."

Pum looked between the morose Shadow and the shocked Hinata as the two just stood there... not knowing what to do. When they still didn't say anything, he squeaked irritably,

"Oh for pete's sake! You can't be serious Shadow?"

Shadow glared at him grumpily. Pum then turned to address Hinata.

"Hey you!" he piped, making her jolt slightly.

"Cheer up already. You probably live right around here for all we know." he said reassuringly.

"Besides," he added, "won't your friends be glad to see that your still alive and kickin'?"

At this, however, Hinata looked melancholic once more.

"How can I? Everyone else thinks I'm already dead..." she said sadly.

"You'd really be... if you, or even any your friends, stay any longer in this forest." Shadow said, his eyes staring angrily at Pum.

"However," he continued when he saw the fearful look on Hinata's face. "I doubt that you'll need to worry about your friends. They'd have probably gone by now."

"What makes you so sure?" she asked worriedly.

"I found this..." he said mysteriously taking out what suspisciously looked like...

"A scroll!" she quickly gasped snatching it from Shadow's hand.

She quickly ripped open the small string binding it and speediliy read the message it contained,

_To all Konoha-nin. Regroup and Fall back to Sunagakure. This is a direct order from the Hokage._

_Tsunade-sama_

Underneath was the symbol for Konoha and Tsunade's seal and signature.

Hinata read and reread the scroll a few dozen times as if trying to confirm if it's real. All the while Pum bounced up and down trying to get a glimpse of the message.

"What language is that?" he asked curiously. Staring at the Japanese characters on the scroll.

"Is it Elvish? Maybe Orcish. Looks kinda' Orcish, don't you think boss?" he wondered.

"Does she look like an Orc to you?" he muttered frostly. He too looked at the characters curiously. However, he was more concerned about Hinata's reaction to it.

"What does it say?" he asked her as gently as possible.

Hinata folded up the scroll quietly and replied,

"Everyone's gone...they've retreated."

There was a silent moment in which Hinata looked completely lost in what she just read. Everyone had left... not knowing that they had taken her last chance of getting home with them. She was completely on her own now. Shadow looked at her, his face unreadable. However, when he spoke again Hinata coudn't help sensing a feeling of concern and sympathy coming from the young man.

"What will you do now?" he then asked her quietly.

Yes. What will she do now? What will she choose?

Will she go with him? Or will she stay here and try to catch up with her teammates.

Either way, her choice could ultimately change the course of her life...forever.

Hinata silently thought about what she was about to do. _If I go... there's a chance I'd never come home again. I'd have to start a new life in a new world now... _she thought seriously. She desperately wished she had more time to think... but something inside her said no. She has to choose...and she has to do so now.

Finally, after a quiet moment. Hinata made her decision.

She walked up to Shadow, her face full of renewed strive and determination.

"Take me with you." she said.

When she answered, Shadow finally smiled for the first time since she met him. It was small but she still liked it. It was so calm yet uplifting. It showed her that he also had a compassionate side.

"Well then...let's go." he said turning towards the path she pointed earlier.

"Yeah..." she replied, as she walked right beside him.

Pum, finally seeing who had lost, said defeatedly.

"Necrix's is gonna have a field day when he sees this."

_Though I feel sad of leaving Konoha and my dear friends, I know that this is not really good-bye... we may be far apart but our friendships will always keep us together..._

Hinata thought this to herself as she walked bravely towards her new path... the path to her new destiny.

The path...beyond the horizon.


	5. A New Land A New World

**A/N: **Hope you don't mind if I revised this a little bit. I promise that it won't affect the core storyline. I just need to fix it up a bit since the draft that you read was made during my Midterm exam and things had been busy back then. Hope you enjoy!

Note: Actually, when I said that this fic was influenced by World of Warcraft I only meant that I would be borrowing the races (and some guest characters) as well as some slight references to the lore. I can't really play the game so anything else in this fic that's not in warcraft is most likely my own creation.

Please keep reviewing, your comments and suggestions keep me goin' and they can also help give you more fantastic stories in the future!

Remember: NO FLAMES.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Nor any copyrighted RPG that it makes reference to for that matter.

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_**Chapter 5: A New Land...A New World**_

Hinata was a bit more livelier now as she and Shadow walked down the path she pointed to earlier and started to grow more fond of her two new companions (she still blushed slightly when Shadow was looking at her though). As they went further on the small path, she learned more about her two new friends and the place where they come from.

Shadow and Pum are actually a part of a group wandering adventurers from a continent he called Azdor Rune and that the two of them were separated from their teammates when they entered this forest. However, Hinata never managed to get a more detailed history of the place because Pum said it was sooo long, he gets a headache just for trying to remember it. He promised though that one of their friends, a man named Necrix, would tell her when they found him and the rest of Shadow's party.

Also on the way, Pum would often talk to her about the way Shadow never runs out of things to turn him into. At first, Hinata found it a little harsh but when she looked at Shadow, she couldn't stop giggling as he slowly mimicked with his right hand the reason why he always does so.

"Then there was this time when our suddenly food ran out. We had to go fishing. Guess who ended up as bait?" he asked. Casting Shadow a contemptous glance.

"You?" Hinata guessed.

"Yep! And as usual I had nooo say in the matter." he giving another scornful glance at his master before turning his eyes back on the path.

Hinata looked at Shadow for the reason and automatically, he mouthed the word 'food' and his hand mimicked a chomping mouth. He then pointed at Pum. Telling her exactly how their food _really_ ran out.

Hinata couldn't help but let out a playful giggle.

"I mean, he practically dunked me in the water! As a giant rubber worm no less!" he squealed not looking back at the two adventurers.

However, Hinata's ears suddenly pricked and she felt an uneasy tingle in her spine. She looked at Shadow and he nodded meaning that he sensed it too.

"PUM!" he shouted, the little blob was already at quite a distance. Fortunately he turned around and bounced back to them.

"What's wrong n-?" he squeaked irritably.

"Shhh!"

Shadow put a finger to his mouth telling Pum to be silent. Hinata looked around cautiously. As her Byakugan grew stronger, so did her ability to sense auras. With it, she could conserve her chakra when detecting the enemy even if that enemy was pretty far away. However, its range is still not as good and the best thing that it could do was tell you how near your opponent is.

_But...what kind of aura is this?_ she thought uneasily. Still keeping a very wary eye as she and Shadow continued at quicker but much stealthier pace. _It feels so cold... so dark... it's as if it were..._her thoughts trailed off, feeling a sick sensation in her stomach as she wondered what monstrosity could emit such an inhuman aura...

Pum too seemed to have become aware that they were not alone. For his bunny-ear antennas started to prick up. There was also the unmistakeable look of fear in his eyes.

"I thought you said forest was already deserted!?" he hissed. His little jelly body trembling slightly. His wide-opened eyes staring around.

"Deserted of humans..." Shadow corrected, readily gripping the hilt of his strange sword.

Pum's body suddenly stiffened at this reply, he then stared around, completely horrified, and choked,

"You mean..._them?_"

Hinata looked from Pum to Shadow and asked fearfully.

"_Them?_ Who's _them?_"

But her question was immediately answered as an otherworldly cry rang through out the forest. It sounded very hoarse, yet very high-pitch at the same time. Hinata was about to whip around to find out where it came from, when Shadow had forcibly pushed her down by her shoulders.

"Get down!" he hissed, quickly whipping out his sword as something menacingly huge and monkey-like came down from nowhere and nearly swiped Hinata.

There was a bright flash as Hinata fell hard on something soft and squishy, quickly shielding her eyes from the sudden bright light. When she opened them again however, she saw something that totally terrified her.

On top of the nearby tree clung the most frightening creature Hinata had ever seen. It's body was that of a human's rotting corpse, with bits of skin and tissue still clinging to it. Its head was completely distorted by years of decomposition while its eyes were replaced by an eerie, moon-yellow pair of glassy ones. Its mouth was filled with yellow rows of long sharp teeth.

Though the body may seemed that of a human (or at least what was once a human.), it moved very much like a crazed monkey. Its bony hands and feet were tipped with unnaturally long and sharp claws.

Hinata stared frightfully at the creature. Her voice coming out in completely helpless whimpers as her eyes continued to stare at it in shock.What's worse... it wasn't the only one.

Hinata suddenly became aware of more of these hideous zombies climbing down the trees and crawling their way menacingly towards them.

She was completely petrified by the sight of these things, but when she looked back at Shadow she regained a good bit of her courage.

The sword that Shadow was carrying earlier was now finally unsheathed, its scabbard was nowhere to be seen. To Hinata's surprise, the sword's blade was far different than what she had suspected to have been underneath the wide black scabbard. It was extremely long and thin, and bore a striking resemblance to a katana. Suddenly a putrid smell that reached her nostrils prompted her to look around. There on the ground on each side of her, was the zombie that first tried to attack her; it's body had been cleanly cut in two. A loud piercing cry, however, quickly made her snap back to where Shadow was.

The creatures that were nearest to the strange swordsman all lunged instantaneously. Hinata tried to shout out a warning to him but found that she needn't have to.

Shadow quickly dashed up towards the leaping zombies with amazing speed, and with that single dash, he had sliced through all the monsters with extreme swiftness. Their pieces landed around them like cut up sausages.

For a second, Hinata thought it was over but the strong lingering presence of these foul things told her that there were still more to come. And come they did...

As the second wave of these zombies appeared from the darkness of the trees, some of them began raising their arms. Nothing happened at first but after a few seconds, a sickening crunching sound could be heard as a long blade of bone grew out of their forearms. At the same time, the remaining zombies had extended the bottom of their spinal cords in the same way until they grew into long, deadly, scorpion-like tails.

Hinata quickly turned away from this unsightly display and quickly took a closer look at Shadow's sword. For the most part it really did look like a katana, but then she saw that it also had a strange seal on it. A mysterious symbol that she had never seen before. Another strange thing was that sword was giving out a faint misty energy... and it wasn't chakra.

Hinata was about to ponder on what kind of weapon this sword could possibly be, when Shadow did something that completely wiped all the possibilities from her mind.

He raised his right hand which was holding the sword and brought it up horizontally in level with his chest. He then placed his other hand over the blade and commanded in the same mysterious language that he spoke before.

"**_Taivalin Runa: Inciendor!_**"

Hinata watched, completely mystified, as a red fiery orange glow quickly emanated from his left hand. He then brought his luminous hand through the entire lenghth of his sword all the way to the tip.

As the sword began to instantly glow with the same fiery light, Shadow forcefully swung it down causing it to quickly burst into actual flames. The flames, however, instantly cleared and Hinata's eyes widened as the swift katana before was now replaced with with a deadly crimson colored hollow blade. The part above the hilt widened at the tip; it's dark red edge had three pointed grooves at the back that made it look like a sword in the image of fire.

Which is exactly what it was...

Shadow held the new blade with both hands and fiercefully swung it a full clockwise circle. The sword immediately erupted into flames once more, forming a searing ring of fire around them. The fire from the ring then quickly burst forth into a burning wave of heat that consumed the nearby surrounding enemies.

The creatures hissed and writhed painfully as the fire overwhelmed them. Their rotting forms were slowly eaten away by the scorching flames until nothing but ash remained. Even the ground around them was black with the fire's intense scorchmarks.

Unfortunately, however, it still wasn't enough to eradicate the endless horde of these creatures. Shadow swung his sword again and again, yet still they came. It was as if the forest's entire freak population had been concentrated on their one single location. What's worse, the young man's attacks were beginning to drain him.

Realizing that Shadow was starting to lose strength, Hinata quickly stood up and this time forced _him _down as she raised her right hand in a single-handed tiger seal.

Shadow was stunned by what the white-eyed girl just did. He was even more surprised when she raised her hand into the same sign as she did before and a web of veins appeared around the corners of her eyes once again.

"What do you think your doing?!" he shouted furiously.

What happened next instantly answered his question.

Hinata immediately redirected all her chakra in her body into her hands and eyes. She could feel the swirling blue energy gathering in her open palms. She then focused her Byakugan on all the enemies around her... as she prepared to unleash her signature move.

"**_Shugohakke: Rokujuyon Sho!_**" she cried.

Immediately, her arms began moving in a graceful circular pattern around them and her hands were emitting a strange sky blue energy. She was also doing this at a surprisingly high speed, reducing most of her top half into a surreal blur. The speed combined with her movements shaped bright blue arcs out of the energy from her hands.

Shadow watched, enchanted by Hinata's mysterious dance. _What magic is this? _He thought bewilderedly. As he continued to watch, he quickly realized that the girl's movements were actually shaping a dome-shaped barrier out of the bright blue arcs they created. How powerful the barrier was though, Shadow couldn't tell.

However, when the whole wave of zombies attacked, his doubts instantly evaporated.

The barrier not only forced their foes back but the intense high speed at which it was being made shredded them in the process, causing their pieces to fly like strips of torn paper.

When the last of the foul creatures obliterated itself by ramming into her Shuggohakke, Hinata quickly stopped and the barrier disappeared. She then deactivated her Byakugan yet still looked around with fierce determined eyes.

She may still be shy... but she was no longer weak.

Over the years she had trained her Shuggohakke and Byakugan techniques to perfection, whilst her mastery of Jyuuken now dangerously rivals Neji's. However, a sudden pain in her abdomen quickly reminded her of her current state.

"Gah!" she gasped clutching her stomach and nearly collapsing again. Shadow quickly stood up from behind and kept her from falling.

"You shouldn't have done that, it was reckless. Your wounds still haven't recovered yet." he scolded, but the softness in his voice told her he was still grateful.

"Yu didn sownd like u wer doin any bitter." spoke a familiar yet somewhat squished voice.

Shadow and Hinata looked down and the girl gasped.

Pum was literally flat on the ground, his little jelly body was completely spread over the dirt.

Shadow looked at the flattened Pum with a raised eyebrow and asked in a bored voice,

"What happened to you now?"

"Wy dont yu aschk yur grlfrnd?" he replied his voice completely squished as he threw his master a hurt look.

Shadow looked inquisitively at Hinata. The girl, at first looked a little confused but then her eyes suddenly widened in shock as she realized what the soft and squishy object she landed on really was.

"Oh Pum! I'm really sorry!" she cried apologetically, bending over the little creature's now pancake body. His two antennas sticking out like flattened gummi worms.

"Relax Hinata, he's fine, he's made of jelly. He can just puff himself up again." said Shadow uninterestingly.

Surely enough the little jelly blob took a deep breath and instanly inflated himself again with a small pop.

"Easy for him to say, he's doesn't know exactly how much pain I suffer doing that!" he muttered angrily under his breath.

Shadow ignored him and looked towards the distance. The dense trees around them were already beginning to thin out and the spacious spots between them revealed the grassy plains ahead. Despite that though, there was still quite a distance. Their problems only escalated when another inhuman cry sounded from deep inside the thicker forest behind them.

"There's still more where those came from, we have to hurry." he said urgently as he bent down and placed his hand under Pum's mouth.

Pum must have understood instantly for he automatically spat out the sky blue Flight Orb from his mouth.

"Wait, what were those things?" she said seriously. This time she was getting a straight answer.

"Stalker Gouls." Shadow muttered darkly.

Hinata looked at him confusedly. Remembering who she was, he explained shortly,

"Reanimated corpses tainted with evil magic. They're the standard infantry for the Undead Army.The dark magic in their bodies is what deforms them, making them faster, giving them fangs and claws, and ultimately making them inhuman."

When he finished explaining, Hinata's mind was completely bombarded with questions. She didn't understand a single word he said. _Magic? Ghouls? Just what kind of place do you guys come from?_

However, her questions were immediately batted from her mind when a dark inhuman aura neared them again.

Hinata gasped frightfully as she saw the shadows of the so-called Stalker Ghouls approaching them. She was still a little injured, so she's not yet at her full strenghth. If she did one more Shuggohakke on those things there's a small chance that they could both be killed.

Shadow seemed to realize this as the three of them quickly broke into a run. (Or far bouncing leaps in Pum's case).

As the Ghouls chased after them, Hinata noticed that Shadow was still holding on to the Flight Orb that Pum spat out earlier.

"I thought you said that thing didn't work while we're in this forest." she said, wondering what he was planning to do now.

"No, the reason it doesn't work is because of the heave influence of foul magic. Remember." he replied.

"However, as we go farther away from the center. The influence weakens making it much easier for the orb to track its movements." he added.

"I still don't know what all that means." she said exasperatedly.

"He means that the closer we are to the edge of the forest, the better chances the orb has of getting us outta here!" Pum explained.

When Shadow saw that trees were finally a good few feet apart from each other, he quickly said to Hinata,

"Hinata! Quick! Grab Pum and hang on to me!"

Pum quickly bounced from the side into Hinata's arms as she quickly held on to her new friend's arm.

There was a bright blue flash as the small crystal sphere exploded into a bright light. It then traveled right through their entire bodies making them completely luminous and corporeal. With another great flash, their bodies merged into a bright teal sphere of energy which sped like a bullet through the remaining acres of trees.

The sphere finally managed to break through the last stretch of haunted trees. When it did, it shattered in the midst of the open plains with a final flash of its light; its three occupants falling and stumbling down on the grass.

Hinata opened her eyes and looked around her. It was exactly as she saw in her Byakugan. The brown dirt road was right nearby as it wound around the surrounding hills leading to the very town that she saw earlier. The clock tower could easily be seen as well as it loomed over the seemingly quiet village. She turned to her left in search of Pum and sweatdropped when she saw that the trip had somewhat left him unconcious, eyes swirling.

She then suddenly became aware of something under her. When she looked down though, she thought she would faint.

Shadow was right under her, his lips nearly touching hers. If it weren't for the fact that his eyes were closed she would have passed out right there.

Hinata quickly gave a short shriek of surprise as she got off him. Slowly the young man began to stir and got up slowly, somehow oblivious to what was lying on top of him earlier. However, as he stood up he noticed that Hinata's face was unusually red.

"Hinata are you all right?" he asked looking more closely at her face.

The girl merely shook her head violently and answered,

"It's ok I-I'm fine. It's just that I never really traveled that way before and, um, I'm a little dizzy." Which was of course half-true. No piece of technology in the shinobi countries had ever done anything close to what she had just experienced.

Shadow turned his back on her and surveyed the surrounding landscape.

"We're still a good deal away from town." he noted, now looking at the distant town before looking back at the now equally distant Shadow Wood.

"U-umm right." she replied shakily. Deep down she felt a mix of both relief and disappointment. Relief since Shadow hadn't yet realized at how close she was to kissing him. Disappointment because he seemed to be ignorant of the obvious signs she was showing.

Just then, they heard the clopping sound of hooves, indicating that something horse-drawn was approaching from down the road.

Sure enough, Hinata saw the most rickety wagon she had ever seen. The huge pile of hay it was carrying was barely contained by the poorly hammered boards that held it together. The wagon, however, was nothing compared to its driver.

The man looked no older than fifty; he had a black hair as well as bushy mustache. He was somewhat big and bulky yet his clothes were raggedy in appearance. She could barely distinguish a cotton shirt under a coarse sleeveless jacket, as well as a pair of pants, from all the dirt and grime that covered him.On his head was a strange poorly made hat that covered a good portion of his hair and had two uncut straps dangling from the sides.

What surprised Hinata the most, however, was the fact that the man was asleep! His growling snores reminded her of something she saw sleeping on a farm on her past missions.

Shadow first took a careful look at the man then at the wagon after which he glanced over at Hinata telling her has an idea.

He pointed to the sleeping man and then to the wagon as the lumbering yet somewhat quick horse trotted past them, unmindful of the two youngsters.

Hinata quickly nodded and understood as she picked up the dizzied Pum and climbed onto the wagon after Shadow.

ooo

After a half an hour, Pum had revived. Yet, Shadow had to keep his mouth shut to stop him from alerting the peasant and causing a ruckus.

While they were traveling, Hinata took one last glance at the forest behind them.

She was finally leaving Konoha.

She smiled sadly as the setting sun cast a twilight orange hue in the sky… beyond those dark trees was the place she had spent all her life in, the place she called home.

"I'm sorry…" Shadow suddenly spoke.

Hinata turned her head slightly and was a little surprised when she looked back at him. Though his face hardly changed the slightest, Hinata could feel that he was looking at her with extreme sadness and regret. This was the first time Hinata truly ever felt Shadow's emotions. That was one of the unique things she noticed about him. His face hardly betrays any emotion, yet the things he feel flow over you like a river when he looks into your eyes.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she said worriedly.

"It's my fault." he replied morosely.

"Huh?" she said puzzledly.

"If I had only faced those men I wouldn't have gotten you lost and you would've been able to go home." he explained, crossing his arms and looked down on the road.

Realizing what he must mean, Hinata replied anxiously,

"Wh-what are you saying? I should be thanking you! Because of what you did, you saved my life!"

"What's new life without the place you once called home?" he then asked her sadly.

Hinata looked sadly at the her hands on her lap. He had a point, being forever unable to return to the the place you've lived your whole life... the place where all your loved ones are, is just as bad as losing them altogether. However...

"I can always have a new one here." she said softly, though there was a hint of brightness in her voice.

Shadow raised his eyebrow slightly.

"Pretty confident aren't you." he said rather skeptically.

Hinata gave a small smile and flushed slightly,

"Not always... but a good friend of mine once told me that I could do anything as long as I believed in myself."

"S'that so..." he replied. When Hinata looked at him again, he was gazing at her in a different way now. It was no longer a look of sadness... but that of admiration.

ooo

Later when the wagon was now close to the town's gates...

"C'mon let's get off. We can walk from here." Shadow said to her calmly.

Hinata nodded her head and the three of them stealthily jumped off the wagon.

As they approached the gates, she noticed that they were of completely different design from the ones in Konoha. For one thing they were metallic and were much shorter than the tall wide, wooden gates in her village.

Standing next to both sides of the gate were two guards. But their weapons and armor were unlike anything she had ever seen before. Sure some guard-nin carried spears but she had never known one who wore a completely metallic armor all over his body. There were also the silver helmets that they wore on their heads, they had strange visors that covered their entire faces.

As they casually walked behind the cart, one of the guards spotted Shadow's group and approached them.

"What's your business here stran-." he was about to ask, when his eyes fell on Shadow's face.

"Oh, it's you Sir Shadow." he said lowering his guard, his eyes then fell on Hinata and asked suspisciously, "and who's this?"

"This here's Hinata...I found her lost on her travels and decided to take her here to readjust her bearings." Shadow answered, however he gave the guard a look that obviously told him that this was a 'no questions asked' sort of thing.

The guard immediately understood though he still kept glancing at Hinata. Hinata quickly lowered her eyes cautiously. It's a good thing it was dark. Even in the shinobi countries, white eyes are still not what you'd call normal.

She then followed silently after Shadow, finally getting a glimpse of life in this strange new land. The town wasn't really very large, and many of the houses were simple and small with blue colored roofs. However, as she looked more closely she noticed that some the houses were actually shops while others served different functions. In a shop few houses away from them, Hinata saw a bearded man completely covered in ash and soot. He wore nothing but a pair of grimy suspenders and old leather boots. In his right hand he held a large hammer in which he used to strike the heated blade of an unfinished sword upon a scorched anvil. In his left was a pair of tongs in wich he used to hold the blade. The shop across it was much cleaner though still looked rather simple and on its window display was a string of all kinds of meat, the man inside was busily cutting red strips of beef. In the center of the town was the clock tower. To Hinata's surprise though, the tower was actually a part of a tall fortified building. But before she could get a more closer look around, Shadow led her into a small two-story building with the word INN written in old rusty letters. Pum was not far behind.

Inside the landlord looked up to see who just came in. When he saw it was Shadow his face broke into a smile of relief. He seems to know Shadow personally for when he addressed him, there was no formal 'Sir'.

"Ahh... thank the stars your all right." he said prasingly. He had long chestnut hair and his face was covered with a matching long beard and mustache. He wore a simple leaf green shirt and khaki trousers. On his left ear was a golden hoop earring.

"Any news from the others Eryon?" Shadow asked.

Hinata guessed that by 'others' he probably meant his other friends. She had almost forgotten that Shadow and Pum were separated from their own friends too.

"Well, I'm not really sure. Word has it though that they've been spotted outside the forest. Your probably the last of your crew to get outta that place." Eryon answered.

Hinata heard Shadow give small sigh of relief. _Well I'm glad that his friends are all right_ she thought _I wouldn't have liked it if Shino or Kiba were left trapped in those woods with those things._ She shivered slightly as her thoughts returned to those creepy undead Ghouls prowling those woods.

"By the way, who's this?" Eryon asked curiosly, suddenly taking notice of Hinata. "blimey you really didn't take that witch lady's advice seriously now did ya?"

At this he threw Eryon a cold, if not irritated glare, however Hinata could've sworn she saw his face flush slightly. Seeing this he said apologetically,

"Oh... sorry. Didn't mean that."

He then clapped his hands together and said little bit more brightly.

"Well, what'll be. You gonna stay the night? Or you gonna head back out again?"

Shadow reached into his pocket and produced a few copper coins which he gave to Eryon as an answer.

"All right," he said in a businesslike tone as he reached into his belt for the keys. "That's two rooms. You can also just wait there at the tables for yer dinner."

Dinner was really peaceful despite that there were only a few wooden tables and chairs. Still the place was very warm and Hinata found the food to be just very tasty, though they obviously didn't have any of the ones back home (she didn't even think about asking for ramen since it might've sounded awkward). She also found it entertaining at the way Pum gobbled up his food in just a few bites.

After dinner, they both went upstairs to their rooms to bed. Although at first, Shadow didn't seem too keen in letting Hinata sleep alone in place like this; it was only after Pum suggested that she sleep with him did he kick the blob in the face and went to his own room.

Hinata smiled quietly as the sounds of those two arguing were easily heard from behind the door.

She then put the key into the lock and entered her room.

The bed looked pretty soft and comfy. And since she had no windows, she couldn't see what was happening outside. 'Not that there was really much to see from up there' she remembered Shadow saying so earlier.

However, she still couldn't believe it. To think that a few days ago she was just living her life in Konoha, now she's been thrust in a entirely different place! Though her first encounters with some of its inhabitants scared her, it only increased her curiousity about the place she has found herself in.

But right now, she needed to sleep. For tomorrow she and Shadow would resume their journey through this new land...through this new world.


	6. Strange Friends, Mysterious Enemies

**A/N: **Talk about total collapse. I am **SOOOOO SOOOOORRRYYYY** that I haven't updated in a long time because I had suffered from a serious case of complete burnout. Headache, cough, fever... all signs of someone who's been overworked by none other than my country's system of college education (in simple terms: school).

I hope you guys keep reviewing. I'd really appreciate if ya did cuz I need to make sure that my writing is still as good as ever and only your reviews show that people have been reading.

To all my readers and reviewers: please continue to read my fic, your reviews and suggestions are the only things that drive me on now and help me improve my work. (Also, special thanks to those who liked this fic. Your reviews always cheer me up when a bad mood gives me writers block.)

Remember: No flames. There is a fine line between a constructive criticism and a direct assault on a person's well-being.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Nor anything else copyrighted for that matter. (Wish Masashi Kishimoto would read this though.)

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_**Chapter 6: Strange Friends. Mysterious Enemies**_

Hinata woke up the next day to the sound of knocking on her door.

She slowly got up and checked her wound again, relieved to find that it had finally healed completely.

As she delicately removed the bandages from her waist, she strode over and opened the door only to find herself face-to-face with kind-faced old woman. A small pile of neatly folded towels was in her arms.

"Good morning dear. Sorry to bother you, but one of our helpers forgot to put these fresh towels in your bathroom and we thought you might need them." she said rather apologetically.

Hinata felt completely stunned. This woman had entirely caught her off guard and was now staring blankly at her unnatural white eyes, yet she just continued to stand there wating to be let in.

"U-um, sure go right ahead..." she mumbled, still unable to comprehend why the woman was not the least bit stunted by her pearl-colored eyes.

The woman stepped inside and entered through a door that Hinata musn't have noticed before because she was so tired last night.

When she finished, the woman casually stepped out. But before leaving, she cast Hinata a somewhat amused look before walking away saying,

"Goodness... the way young girls color their eyes these days."

Hinata didn't quite understand what she just meant, but the fact that the woman didn't find her abnormal gave her a small sense of relief.

She quietly closed the door again and went to open the one in which the woman just entered.

When she entered, her face suddenly lit up happily at the site of a small ivory bathtub. The pile of towels that the woman brought in was not far from its foot, along with a bar of soap and, what probably must be, a bottle of shampoo.

She hadn't taken a decent bath for a few days now, so she excitedly turned the tap and quietly closing the door.

When the tub was nearly full, she turned the water off and began to remove her clothes before slowly dipping herself in with a relaxed sigh.

She lay in the tub peacefully for a few minutes then she slowly started to rinse herself. She flushed slightly when she looked down and caressed her boobs and her curves. They weren't big like Tsunade-sama's but they were perfectly proportional to her graceful body. Her father even tried to get Neji to be with her whenever she went when he heard that some guys could't stop staring at her, but she refused saying that she could take of herself. As she reached back to wash her hair, however, she was little surprised at how it barely reached her shoulders. She then remembered that the Sound-nin that tried to kill her was holding a fistful of her hair before Shadow cut it to sever the man's grip on her.

"Hmmm..." she wondered sadly as she stoked it; pondering on what she could do with it now. She had once heard that most boys liked girls with long hair but it looks like that she had to give up on that, seeing that her once flowing hair of navy had been reduced to mere shoulder lenghth. She then brushed it back and decided not to worry about it too much.

ooo

Meanwhile in the other room, Shadow was mulling over a small map with a lot of previously made markings all over it. Pum, being the heavy sleeper that he was snored loudly in the corner.

It was actually three days since he and his party went inside the dreaded Shadow Wood. A haunted forest that was long since plagued by the foul stench of undeath. He and his friends each had some personal 'business' there and decided to venture in.

However, they had barely walked a short distance inside when they were already besieged by scores of Undead troops.

Though they all managed to fend them off easily, the sheer number of these Ghouls had forced the group to split into three with Shadow and Pum luring away one-third of the ravenous mob with them.

After he got rid of every single undead freak that was stupid enough to follow him, Shadow looked around and realized that from the moment their group had divided, their original plan had already failed.

He had learned the hard way that it would take the combined strength of all his friends to even stand a chance against the the dark enemy who was currently hiding in those woods. The tyrant that had inflicted this world with so much suffering... the monster that had caused his friends so much pain... the creature that dwelled in his nightmares...

Suddenly, Shadow's head surged with overwhelming agony.

"ARGH!" he growled, clutching his forehead with his left hand as he staggered, trying to keep his balance with his right.

Instantly his eyes began to blur and his mind began to play a hazy stream of visions.

He saw himself standing in the midst of a burning forest, the countless bodies of pointy-eared men, women, and children lying all around him. The cries of a young girl rang desperately through the night.

Next he found himself in a place filled with burning fire and molten rock. Fallen on his hands and knees was a blonde-haired man with scarlet robes. A pair of dark crimson horns grew from behind his ears and curved in direction with his face. He was breathing heavily, with blood trickling down his face while a silver and black scythe lay fallen at his right hand.

Then he found himself in a mountainous cave where crowds of short women and bearded men ran in terror as hordes of undead came upon them. From his mouth came a laughter that was not his own, for it was cold, mirthless... and unfeeling. Its sound reverberated in the mountain halls.

But the most terryfying vision of all was yet to come...

Finally, Shadow found himself alone, in place completely covered in darkness. From that darkness loomed the very demon that had plagued him since birth.

It was giant skull, yet it had canines not belonging to any normal human being. Instead of eyes, a cold blue fire flared in each socket. When it spoke it spoke like a thousand wintery nights... its rasp stung him like frozen needles. The evil laughter he had heard before echoing in its mouth.

"_Foolish boy!" _he cried _You will never escape me! I WILL find you! That girl's magic won't hide you forever!!! AHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!_

As the laughing grew louder, the pain in his head grew stronger! Shadow stumbled towards the bed his free hand grasping violently for something on the bedside drawer. When he felt the cool neck of a familiar bottle, he quickly popped out its stopper and downed a good deal of its contents in a huge draught.

Instantly, the pain and the visions vanished and he found himself sitting on the floor next to his bed. Sweat poured profusely from his forehead and trickled down his face. Pum's snores continued to vibrate around the room as if nothing happened.

He looked down at the bottle that contained his cure. It was icy blue as the demon's eyes yet its crystal stopper, which was lying nearby, was as crimson as the boy's own hair.

He slowly raised to the bottle, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his long sleeve of his black robes. _I've been taking this far too frequently now. His power must be growing. _he thought gravely.

He then straightened up and picked up the crimson stopper. Afterwards, he placed the bottle back with the stopper firmly secured in the mouth.

Suddenly there was a knock.

"Umm...Shadow-kun? Are you all right?" spoke the timid voice of Hinata from behind the door.

He quickly strode over to the door and opened it to find the white-eyed girl looking at him worriedly. Her index fingers were quietly twiddling each other.

"I-I'm fine..." he answered, though his voice shook slightly. "I was... looking for something. Sorry if I worried you."

"Mm." she said shaking her head. "It's okay I'm just glad you're all right." She then smiled kindly, which made Shadow feel all the more guilty and he could feel a slight heat rise back in his face.

"Listen," he said, trying to conceal his small blush "you'd best get ready. We've got a long trip ahead of us."

She nodded enthusiastically and went back to her own room. All the while unaware of the way Shadow was slowly feeling attracted to her.

ooo

Though she didn't have much stuff, Hinata still had one more important rule for her to follow as a kunoichi.

_Always check your equipment._

After she had taken a bath, she felt a twinge of guilt when she remembered that she still had her weapons pouch so as soon as she got in her room she immediately went straight for it and counted the items she still had inside.

She had: Three kunai, five shuriken, two exploding tags, a couple of scrolls, and a single smoke bomb.

She stared dissappointingly at her measly equipment, but when she took a closer at the scrolls she noticed that one was of entirely different color.

Pink.

"How did this get here?" she asked herself.

Hinata took out the scoll, it seemed familiar to her somehow...

_It was a week after her sixteenth birthday, she had just received an order from Tsunade-sama telling her that she is to go on an emergency mission to a strange forest north-west of Sunagakure. Before she left though, her sensei Yuhi Kurenai had given her a small pink-scroll she was supposed to receive on her birthday but the crimson eyed woman had to go on a mission that same day._

_"What is it?" Hinata asked curiously, her hands gently holding the small scroll._

_"It's something I made just for you. Don't open it now though, I heard that your going somewhere." the woman spoke, her jet black hair waving slightly._

_"What's in it?"_

_Kurenai-sensei merely smiled mysteriously and said,_

_"Just something I thought you'd find interesting..."_

_With that she left, leaving Hinata to place the scroll in her weapons pouch, smiling at the back of her sensei. Kurenai-sensei always knew what was best for her and was one of the very few people who had believed in her. Whatever's inside the scroll, it was something special. And when she found time to open it Hinata would first think of the person who gave it._

Hinata stared sadly at the scroll, remembering her kind teacher. Kurenai-sensei had always been there for her. Even when her own father had practically disowned her for being weak, she was there. Her friends were there too... Naruto, Kiba, Shino... all of them. They all believed in her and knew that she would one day be a great kunoichi if she just believed in herself.

She heaved a deep sigh, realizing that small tears have formed in her eyes. She missed them terribly, but also she knew that she would get to see them again and were always with her in her heart. She just needed to believe.

She quickly wiped her tears and turned her attenion back on the scroll. She hastily fumbled with the golden knot and unfurled it gently.

On it Hinata could recognize the familiar characters of a weapons scroll. Instead of weapons though, it seemed to contain something else but Hinata couldn't tell what it was.

She picked up a kunai and made a small prick on her thumb. As she smeared some blood on the central part of the scroll there was instantly a huge puff of white smoke.

When the smoke cleared though, Hinata's face fell slightly.

On top of the scroll were nothing but three books as well as a writing brush and a bottle of ink.

Hinata picked up the books sadly, she was expecting something a bit cooler like a new weapon or perhaps even a kuchiyose contract (she always wanted to know what it was like to have one). However, when she opened the first book her face lit up with astonishment.

The book contained extremely useful tips and covered over a lot of basic jounin-level skills. Like using seals to maximize the space in scrolls, how to make your own exploding tags, as well as things like chakra manipulation.

Hinata quickly opened the other two books. The second one was a manual for all sorts of powerful jutsus inlcuding Naruto's signature Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Sasuke's Katon techniques.

But it was the third one that she liked the most, for it contained a training guide specifically for someone like her... a Hyuuga.

_Arigato... sensei._ she thought happily. With these books, Hinata could easily train herself here so she put them back for safe keeping.

"I'm sure Shadow wouldn't mind. It wouldn't do good if he were always protecting me." she said to herself.

Later, after meeting Shadow and a sleepy Pum in the hallway, they all went down for their breakfast before finally heading out.

As Hinata thanked Eryon fron his hospitality, she finally mustered a bit of courage and fully exposed her eyes.

Though the man looked at her curiously, he merely shrugged and said to Shadow,

"By the way, before you go, a message arrived from Alex last night asking me to tell you that you that they've set up camp somewhere west of here."

"Very well." replied tonelessly before turning to Hinata.

"You ready?" he asked her.

She nodded in reply and they immediately set off.

When they approached the town gates, some people stopped and began looking in Hinata's direction. They must have thought her clothes were pretty strange, not to mention her eyes, but none have really gone as far as regarding her dangerous.

Noticing this, Hinata asked Shadow,

"Shadow, these people... how come they don't find me-"

"Strange?" Pum finished for her.

"Yeah."

"Well, ya actually are, can't you tell? It's just that folks around here have seen stranger things." he added.

"Really?" she said, astonished.

"Yup."

They left town from the gates at the west and proceeded once again down the brown dirt road.

Nothing really happened as they traversed the wide path before them. The blue sky and the sun shining brightly above them. After a few minutes, they passed by a small meadow with a white flowers growing all over it. Hinata blushed slightly when she imagined herself with Naruto sitting there on a picnic.

But this cute little fantasy was cut short when she heard a sinister barking from the distance.

"Wh-what was that?" she said Hinata asked nervously.

Shadow looked towards where the sounds came from and gripped his sword cautiously. Suddenly the scabbard of Shadow's sword shone with bright light and then disappeared leaving nothing but the wide blade underneath.

Hinata stared completely transfixed at the blade's original form.

It was wide and flat, with the parrallel edges slanting sharply towards the tip and its flat sides were colored black. The hand guard was simple, with a small little metal nub in its center. But what caught Hinata's eyes were the six mysterious golden symbols carved on the blade. Each of them seemed to emit a faint, yellow glow.

Shadow looked towards the distance to the source of the barking, raising his sword in front of him and adopting a stance.

However, when he squinted his eyes and looked closer at the distant creatures he loosened his grip and relaxed slightly.

"Hmph... it's just Knolls."

"What's a Knoll?" Hinata asked cautiously.

"Oh, just a bunch of dumb dogs on hind legs who bite off more than they can chew." Pum answered in a bored voice.

Sure enough, Hinata saw a large group of the strangest creatures she had ever seen. They had the head and body of a dog but they stood on her hind legs and had paws that have somehow evolved into hands, allowing them to wield small primitive style weapons. Though they were hardly any taller than her, it was only because their backs were slightly hunched, making them more animalistic in appearance. Their skins ranged from a variety of dull colors, from muddy brown to grayish black.

"They look dangerous..." Hinata said cautiously as she placed her hands warily over her weapons prouch.

"Nah, you don't need to worry." Pum said a bored voice. "Ya got Shadow here! These goofballs practically run at the sight of him-"

THUNK!

An arrow suddenly soared from one of the Knolls and and landed squarely in front of Pum's face. A green slime clearly oozing down from the head.

"WHOA! HEY!!" the little blob yelled angrily.

"Careful, that arrow looks poisoned." said Shadow warily, raising his sword in front of him again.

Hinata nodded and stanced herself to fight. However, Shadow was already two steps ahead of her, and in a blur of black, dashed towards three charging Knolls. He immediately disposed of them by slicing through all of them in the chest with a wide horizontal slash. Just then three more Knolls, one armed with a bow and the poisoned arrows, came to their fallen comrades aid. Shadow quickly rushed towards the one in the middle, bending his knees as he brought his sword up. The blade smoothly cut through the entire monster's skin, flesh and bones like they were all cheese but Shadow didn't stop there. As the blade cut past the Knoll's abdomen he quickly sprung up his bent knees and jumped high into the air, dragging his whole sword vertically through the monsters upper half. While in the air, he twisted before landing, bringing his sword back down again. This time it slashed right through the back of the Knoll's skull and all the way down along its spine.

The blood had barely gushed out of the long gashes in the dog creature's body when Shadow had already brought his blade up again, this time to parry a sword strike from the Knoll on his right. He effortlessly shifted the monster's blade to the side before delivering a swift slash that decapitated it. He then turned to the one with the poisoned arrows and immediately, with the single hand that was holding his sword, thrust the sharp pointed end through its stomach. The stab was so fast and so strong, the Knoll had barely had time to draw an arrow before the sword pierced through it's body and was pushed off its feet by the force. However, Shadow didn't seem to pay any attention at all if the Knoll was dead. For right after he thrust his blade into it, his cold blue eyes were already focused on the rest of the now the cowering pack.

Hinata watched mesmerized as all of this happened only in a matter of seconds. She already knew that Shadow was armed with some sort of strange power and seemed to possess a lot of skill but she was still taken aback at how easily he slew those monsters, it's as if they were made of nothing but air. He was so strong he didn't even use that strange power he used back in the forest nor did he need to look to see if his strikes killed their intended targets, they just did.

Hinata looked down at Pum. The little blue blob of jelly was grinning as his master slashed in half the Knoll that nearly shot him with poison. ("Serves him right, the dumb mutt.") One by one the dog-like creatures yelped as the rest of them each fell to Shadow's blade. He was cutting through the monsters like a dancing knife moving so swiftly that she couldn't help but feel a little inferior to him.

However, something caught her eye. While Shadow seemed either too busy or simply didn't notice, a group of Knolls had somehow managed to sneak into an area behind him where he was extremely vulnerable.

Sensing the danger, she immediately rushed to help him. She wasn't gonna just stand there gaping like that right after she had just proven to him how strong she also was. She was gonna fight.

Using her chakra to jump high in the air, she then rolled forward in mid-air before gracefully landing on the nearest Knoll's head, cracking it's skull instantly.

Surprised by the appearance of another attacker, the remaining Knolls in front of her retaliated angrily. One raised a sword while the other a mace. But before the two monsters could even swing them down, Hinata was already right in front of them, focusing her chakra into her palms.

"**_Jyuuken!_**" she cried, thrusting both palms hitting both Knolls squarely in the chest, the devastating force of her chakra rupturing their hearts and lungs.The two monsters spat a good deal of blood as they fell midway before crashing down on the ground, dead.

She quickly dashed forward again just as two of the Knoll archers fired arrows lined with green slimy poison at her. Using her Byakugan she gracefully evaded them by shifting her body so that the two arrows sailed directly in front and back of her head. As she did this she reached into her pouch and drew one of her kunai. She then continued running towards them deflecting and dodging arrows on the way and when she was in range, she threw the kunai at one of the Knolls. The black knife embedded itself deep into the monster's head as it fell with a small yelp, its blood easily seen dripping out. She then drew her second kunai and ducked as another Knoll archer fired at her. This time, instead of throwing the kunai, Hinata ducked a few more arrows and focused her chakra into the tips of her right foot. When she was right in front of the Knoll, she arched her body backwards and backflipped, her chakra enhanced foot connecting with the creature's lower jaw. The Knoll's head was instantly jerked upwards by the force of the kick and its body was vulnerable long enough for the young Hyuuga to get back on her feet and thrust the now upright kunai into its chest. She then drew it out again and whirled to where her first kunai was drew that one out as well. Her white eyes then fell again upon the remaining Knolls, all of them growling viciously at her and baring their sharp fangs.

As they attacked, Hinata began to notice something about their movements. Other than the poisonous arrows that they had, they didn't seem that very dangerous at all. In fact, as she observed their attack pattern, they fought no differently than other pitifully dumb animals. She looked around for a sign of other archers and found that she and Shadow had already killed them all.

Feeling a more confident she rushed and resumed her fight. After a killing off the rest of the pack she felt a malicious presence behind her.

Thanks to the Byakugan though, she managed to bend forward split seconds before a giant axe swung right over her back. Apparently the Knoll that she landed on had revived and was now lumbering towards her, swinging its weapon stupidly.

However, before it could raise again the axe it was wielding, Hinata had already taken a swift backstep towards it and drove her right elbow painfully into its ribs. The beast, stunned by the surprisingly immense pain, staggered backwards. Sensing his imbalance, Hinata quickly crouched low and delivered a fast counter-clockwise sweep kick that knocked it off its doggie-legs.

She stood up, preparing to deliver the final blow, when...

BOOM!!!!

Something huge and fiery fell suddenly down from the sky and crashed down on the Knoll, killing it instantly and leaving nothing but a huge smouldering crater in front of Hinata. She stared wide-eyed at the crater, but the thing that arose from it took her in such a surprise that she couldn't help but scream in fright.

Bursting vioelently out of the huge smouldering crater was a huge fiery giant made entirely out of burning rock. Its stony body was completely scorched black by the immense orange flames that kept engulfing it.

Hinata stared frightfully at the creature. She didn't know why, but the giant's mere presence before her left her completely paralyzed her in fear. Its skull-shaped head then roared menacingly at her before raising its burning hand. She immediately closed her eyes for whatever pain the monster could inflict.

Mysteriously, however, none came.

Instead the monster smashed a Knoll that had apparently taken the opportunity to sneak up behind her while she was still petrified by the huge monster's appearance. The dog creature had sailed few feet away before landing lifeless on the ground.

She looked from the monster to the dead Knoll, completely bewildered.

_It... saved me...?_

The giant then strode forward, its massive footfalls shaking the ground slightly and leaving wide circular scorchmarks upon it. As it did, it proceeded to smash and burn whatever Knoll that was still left standing. It's attacks were either crushing their bones with its strength or torching them to ashes with its fiery breath.

Hinata then looked back to the crater. As the smoke coming from it was slowly starting to clear, she instantly caught a glimpse of a man with golden blonde hair with eyes of bright crimson. Like Shadow, he too wore a pair of glasses but these were circular instead of square. He wore long, flowing, goldenrod robes that were colored fiery red at the cuffs and the collar. He was raising his hand with his palm facing forward in front of him.

Beside him was small boy with short brown hair. He wore a peculiar helmet that had a pair of goggles strapped in front and a pair of brown, baggy, cargo pants held up by black suspenders. He wore a dirty white sleeveless shirt and a pair of worn, brown mountain shoes with matching fingerless gloves. On his back was a peculiar copper colored metal pack. It looked pretty compact and had a strange meter on it. In his hand was an odd metal rod that had strange knobs round past the middle which then ended in semi-triangular wooden handle. His face looked totally crestfallen at the smouldering bodies of the Knolls the giant was now creating.

"Awww...Necrix! I was gonna shoo' tha'!!!" he cried reproachfully.

"Oh I'm sorry! I thought you said _destroy _them not _distract _them.

The boy then turned and glared furiously at the man.

"'Ow am I s'posed ta hunt when yeh keep roastin' me game to charcoal!?" he said heatedly, a vein was popping in his head.

The man he called Necrix merely adjusted his glasses and replied in a way and adult would to a child who had just lost a balloon.

"Now, now, don't me mad. I'm sure there are other things around here that you can skin.

"Maybe I oughta start with you." the boy muttered darkly.

Hinata just stared at Necrix as he passed by, too confused to speak. She did not realize that Shadow just finished off the last Knoll and is now reattaching his sword to his back. The mysterious blade flashing again as it covered itself once more with its black sheath.

He then turned to the approaching Necrix, who's golem had just finished its rampage before vanishing in a haze of smoke and ash. Probably returning from whence it came.

"My, my Shadow." the man then said casually with a serene smile on his face but a mischievious glint in his eyes, "I didn't know you had a taste for exotic women." he added, putting his hands behind his back casually and staring at the stunned Hinata.

"Put a lid on it..." Shadow muttered grumpily.

"I don't know boss... Necrix's gotta point. Kinda explains why ya have a fetish for elven mai-

SQUISH!

"Oof!" Pum grunted painfully as Shadow stepped on the blob to silence him.

Hinata looked back at the two men, still a little loss for words.

_So that's Necrix..._ she thought, shivering slightly. Pum had mentioned his name often and told her that he was a friend of theirs, but to think a mere man like that could summon a creature so powerful out of nowhere... Hinata guessed that his level of power could only be rivaled by a veteran jounin like Kakashi!

"Oi!" said a young boyish voice.

Hinata jumped and saw that the little boy earlier was no longer sporting a look of rage and annoyance. Instead, it was one of kindness and friendliness.

"'Ere." he said reaching his hand towards her, in which she took rather slowly but was surprised at how strong and firm the boy's grip was as he pulled her up. _He sure is strong for a little boy_. she thought as he let go of her hand.

"Umm... thank you." she said, blushing slightly at the boy who was smiling sweetly at her. _Aww... he looks so cute when he's not angry!_

"Aw, not at all missy. Just doin' me job! Heheh..." the boy replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Shame on you Kugan. Stealing another man's woman like that." said the mock dissapproving voice of Necrix as he and Shadow returned next to them.

This time another vein had appeared on the little boy's head, his face flaring up once again.

"All righ', tha's it! One more word outta yeh're trap and blastin' yer head all the way ta' Eldar Strom!" he hollered as he poked the metal end of his strange stick on the side of the blonde haired man's head.

Up close Hinata realized that the metal end was actually a small funnel and, judging from what Kugan said, suddenly realized that she wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of it.

"Waah! Please don't fight!" she pleaded looking anxiously between Necrix and Kugan.

Surprisingly, after a short while of just staring at each other, Kugan simply grunted and lifted the strange stick onto his shoulders while Necrix continued to smile. It's as if he was always used to having a little boy stick a dangerous weapon to his head and threaten to blow it up.

"So Shadow would you be a gentleman as to introduce to us this charming young lady?" the man then said, as he smiled serenely at Hinata.

However, it was Hinata who answered,

"U-uh, m-my name is Hinata... Hyuuga Hinata sir!" she squeaked as she bowed, trying her best to be polite.

Then, she suddenly felt awkward. These people's customs were entirely different from her own so bowing like that may have made her more odd-looking.

Sure enough their reaction was similar to was of the same nature as Shadow's when he first heard her name. Only difference was that Necrix looked intrigued while Kugan was simply dumbfounded.

"Goodness Shadow. You've really caught yourself something this time. Princess Laena will be extremely jealous." said Necrix as he cast another mischievous glance at Shadow.

At this Hinata's face turned bright red.

"Huh!? U-uh, no! You don't understand were just, um, well we're, mmm-" she stammered, twiddling her index fingers and casting timid glances at Shadow who merely groaned miserably as he buried his face in his hand.

Later around noon as Hinata continued their journey, Pum had formally introduced the two to her and told them their full names. Necrix Hexcharm and Kugan Gunforge. They're both members of Shadow's team who got separated when their group entered the Shadow Wood. However, according to what Eryon said, Shadow still had two more friends to find and asked Necrix if they already met them.

"Yes." he replied, " In fact, Arya and Alex's camp is not too far from here. While we were resting though, Kugan saw that pack of Knolls you fought earlier so we decided to hunt them down.

"Whaddya mean 'we'?" Kugan said angrily, "I never wanted yeh ta come in the first place. Yeh're spells blow up everythin'! Leavin' me nuttin' but a pile o' worthless ash!"

"Are their skins really that valuable?" Hinata asked curiously.

At this Kugan flashed her a proud grin and answered,

"Heh, sure as 'ell they ar'. Knoll hide's dead useful against poisonous bites an' stuff. They fetch a pretty price from rich tailors."

"Oh?" she said in astonishment.

"Alas, thanks to this old geezer I must kiss me next paychek g'bye." he added, scowling grumpily at Necrix.

Hinata looked back at Necrix. The man's mysterious smile had never left his face and his calm gaze seemed so tranquil that Hinata found it difficult to believe what he just pulled off earlier. She then looked back down on Pum who was bouncing at a casual happy pace and asked curiously,

"H-hey Pum, who's Princess Laena?"

The little blue blob stopped abruptly and sweatdropped as he looked up nervously at his master who in turn gave him a '_don't even think about it_' look. However, it was Necrix who answered, despite the murderous glare that Shadow then shot at him.

"Oh just another run-of-the-mill royal who just can't get enough of our dear Shadow here." he said as a matter-of-factly as they continued to walk, ignoring Shadow's livid look.

"Heheh... yeah a royal _pain_." Pum added as he continued to look nervously at his master.

"Really? What's wrong? Is she spoiled?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"Well, I wouldn' say tha'." said Kugan shrugging his shoulders. "Let's just say she's a wee bit pampered. Still, I don' know why you don' like 'er that much Shadow. She seems a pretty picture."

"She's not my type." Shadow muttered coldly.

Before she could stop herself, Hinata had asked rather shyly,

"R-really? Um... so what type of girl do you want?"

Shadow stopped for a while, and Hinata quickly realized his face had just softened. But it was only for a while and Shadow made his face the unreadable stone that it often was once more.

"It's getting late. We're probably almost there." he said quietly.

True enough, as the sun began to set, they came upon a small camp with a huge brown tent. The delicious smell of cooked meat wafting towards them.

"Mmm. My favorite." Pum noted casually as he sniffed the air and approached a roasting piece of meat on a spit.

But right before he could take a bit an arrow suddenly sailed from nowhere and landed inches away front of Pum's open mouth.

"WAAHA-HEY! WHAT IS THIS!? AM I IN SEASON ALREADY!?" he hollered, irked at the fact that he was nearly shot twice now.

"Don't even think about you over-indulgent blob." said a cool female voice from behind the tent.

Hinata quickly turned to the voice's direction as its owner stepped in sight.

In front of them, her fingers lingering lazily on the string of her bow, was an extremely attractive young woman.

She had navy blue eyes and her violet blue hair was tied back in a silky ponytail. Her skin was fair and she wore a short violet blue leather breast guard and something that looked like a cross between a short skirt and a loincloth. On her right arm was a long dark violet arm guard with a mauve gem set upon the wrist area. On her left hand, the one holding the bow, she wore nothing but a simple leather wristband with an owl-shaped symbol sewn upon it in black thread. On her feet were a pair of tight black boots that barely reached her knees.

However, the one thing she couldn't stop staring at were her ears. There weren't normal human ears at all. Instead, the were rather long and pointed!

"That's everybody's dinner Pum. One that's not gonna go down the endless void you call your stomach." she said coldly.

Just then another voice spoke, this time it sounded male and it came from inside the tent. Unlike the girl though, it was rather calm and friendly.

"Hey go easy on the poor guy Arya. That forest probably left him starving to death. I say we cut him some slack."

From out of the tent came a gentle-faced young man who looked hardly older than Shadow. He had semi-short hair that was silvery white and his eyes were bottle green. He wore a plain green cotton shirt and khaki pants. Around his neck was small circular pendant that had a roughly cut blue gem in the center. Though he didn't have long ears like his companion, the jacket and boots he wore seemed to made of a strange material that looked like something between fur and feather.

"Go ahead Pum help yourself. Just don't eat it all ok?" he said kindly.

"Thanks Alex, your a pal." Pum said gratefully as he took a few bites out of the hanging piece of meat.

The girl called Arya looked at the little blob, slightly irritated at the way he savored her catch. He looked like he could gobble it all up any moment. Her eyes turned back to Shadow and the others and then her eyes fell on Hinata.

"And who might this be?" she asked raising her eyebrow warily at the white eyed girl.

"This is Hinata. We found her lost in the Shadow Wood as well and we both worked together to get out." Shadow explained.

Alex looked at Hinata, slightly surprised.

"Wow Shadow, you must have been in quite a pickle to actually have someone help ya." Alex said as he looked back at his comrade.

"Yeah." he said silently as he moved pass the silver haired young man. "She's actually very strong Alex, so don't underestimate her." he then said before getting inside the large tent.

Once again, Hinata thought her face would look like a glowing cherry with two white spots. _Shadow praised me!_ she thought happily as she as she twiddled her fingers again. She knew that Shadow secretly acknowledged her strength already when she showed him her Shuggohakke but to actually hear it from him really made her blush. It was a good thing there was a fire, for it would have been really embarrassing for the both of them if anyone else (Necrix especially) saw her face like that.

Arya, however, still acted cautious around her.

"You don't look like your from around here. Where do you come from?" she said, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Hinata was a little pushed back at the girl's slight hostility and stared nervously at the ground. _Oh no. I forgot. Not even Shadow knows of where I really came from. I'd tell them all now but a good kunoichi must know that there's a time and place for everything._ she thought carefully.

She was about to say something but surprisingly, Shadow came out of the tent again and addressed Arya.

"She still hasn't told me. But she'll tell us soon." he said, in a very protective tone.

"Why not now?" she asked, but this time her inquisitive eyes were on Shadow.

"Cuz he liiiikes her," said Pum wickedly, as he slurped down a small piece of meat, "and doesn't wanna make her think that he doesn't truuust her Ehehehe..."

BOINK!!!

Shadow kicked the bunny-eared blob lazily and gave Arya a look that Hinata was unable to see. However, the young woman then sighed and her face softened,

"All right. You win Shadow." she said defeatedly but still did not stop looking at Hinata every now and but more curious than hostile this time.

Later that night after a simple yet delicious dinner, Kugan yawned and said that he'd turn in early. As the little boy trudged sleepily towards the tent, Hinata couldn't help but feel the urge to suddenly follow suit and yawned.

"You look tired. You should get some rest. Don't push yourself, that fight may have been easy but it certainly took a while." spoke Shadow in a surprisingly gentle voice. She looked up into his eyes and saw that he was looking at her in a calm but concerned way. His face though still remained expressionless.

Feeling that it was best to heed his advice, Hinata stood up and bade a kind goodnight to everybody and went inside the tent.

As the young girl disappeared inside. Shadow noticed that Necrix was smiling serenely at him again.

"What?" he said his face suddenly turning into a scowl.

"Oh nothing." he said teasingly, "It's just that I've only realized now on how intimate you two already are."

At this Pum let out a laughed hysterically.

"Hahahaha! Yeah! I can already hear the wedding bells ringing! Hahaha!"

Shadow irritably struck something in the middle of the bonfire and a small tongue of flame immediately licked a soft spot in Pum's 'behind'.

"YEEOWWW!!! HOT!!!" he cried. His comical yelp ringing throughout the night.

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**A/N**: There! Hope you enjoyed this and I would reeeeeaaaaally appreciate if you sent more reviews. I know I deserve your punishment for not delivering on time but I was sick. Really!!!

Now before this is over I would like to inform you that I might put this story on hiatus for a while to make room for my other fanfic. (If you read its short summary you might find that this one and that one have different themes and settings.)

But fear not because I promise you all that I will finish this story. I've already gotten the middle and the end chapters in stored in mind. Just be patient kay? And keep sending those reviews!!

Signed,

Lykex


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